The Tale of a City: Re-Engineering the Urban Environment

Naomi Brun is a freelance writer and a book reviewer for The Hamilton
Spectator.

At the dawn of the 21st century, many of the world’s cities find
themselves in a state of crisis. There is no more room for garbage, so
it must be shipped to far-off locations and even over international
borders. A constant supply of hydro cannot be guaranteed during the
warmest months of the year, and real estate prices have reached
unaffordable levels as cities strive to cope with population increase.
The list of problems continues, and any urban dweller would be able to
add to the number of complaints without too much effort.

Identifying difficulties is easy, but coming up with viable solutions
isn’t. Enter Tony O’Donohue. O’Donohue has worked both as a civil
engineer and as a civic politician in a twin career path that’s
spanned nearly 50 years. These two professions have afforded him a
unique perspective into the problem of urban decline, and in many ways,
perfectly qualify him to write a book on urban renewal.

The Tale of a City opens with an accurate and well-researched account
of the history of the city, then gives a brief overview into the
problems that plague cities today. Each subsequent chapter deals with a
different urban issue, pointing out areas of concern and explaining
possible ways to remedy the situation. O’Donohue’s strategies are
all supported by fact, and most are backed by other urban planning
experts.

At the centre, O’Donohue is a pragmatic environmentalist. He believes
that pollution, combined with inadequate urban planning, has created the
behemoth plaguing cities today. He suggests alternatives to current
sources of power, but unlike many other green thinkers, provides
attractive numbers to support his claims. O’Donohue also insists that
until city councils enforce more environmental solutions, little
progress will be made.

O’Donohue lives in Toronto, and this book is heavily focused on the
issues facing that city. The Tale of a City, however, will offer wider
appeal if Toronto can be considered primarily a case study.